My Labyrinth
by cullenitis
Summary: It's been a week since Sarah's triumph and she's about to discover that she's much more involved with the Labyrinth and its mysterious king than she thought.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Labyrinth or any other pop culture reference used here._

* * *

"Guys, is everything okay?"

Sarah cocked an eyebrow at her three Labyrinth friends sitting on her bedroom floor. It had been exactly one week since her victory and Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo were, once again, visiting her late at night and playing board games.

At first, everything seemed just fine, they'd come, hang out for a few hours, and then leave for the Underground. But for the last few days, she'd begun to notice strange little things: Bags of exhaustion grew under their eyes. They seemed nervous and jumpy. And each time she saw them, their clothes and fur were getting filthier and filthier; like they hadn't been washing.

"Of course, Sarah." Hoggle muttered, avoiding eye-contact. "We're all fine."

"Indeed, we are, my l-lady!" Sir Didymus concurred with a slight cough. "N-never better."

Ludo scratched his ear.

"You three have been acting weird for the past couple of days and it's getting worse all the time." Sarah pressed, not in the east bit fooled by their nonchalance. "What's going on?"

"_Nothing_." The dwarf insisted. His grip on the Monopoly shoe piece tightened.

"Hoggle." Sarah's voice rang with warning.

"It is just that there have been some…_problems _at home, my lady." Sir Didymus said hesitantly.

"But it's _nothing_ you need to worry about, Sarah!" Hoggle grumbled forcefully, eyeing the knight.

"What kind of problems?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Bad weather." Sir Didymus explained ominously. "Lots of earthquakes. Mysterious fires. All signs of-"

"Of _nothing_!" Hoggle snarled. "They're just a coincidence! Everyone's jumping to-"

"Hoggle, shush!" Sarah scolded. "Go on, Sir Didymus. Signs of what?"

"The re-return of…of…Silence the great dragon."

Sarah blinked. "What?"

"Long before the Labyrinth," Sir Didymus began, "the Underground was a dry, barren wasteland. The great dragon, Silence, roamed the desert hills, devouring the goblins in droves. That was why we started to steal wished away children, my lady. To renew our ever-dwindling population. Silence was finally subdued and locked away in a tomb where he has slept for thirteen hundred years."

"Why is he called Silence?" Sarah asked carefully, feeling a sliver of dread roll down her back.

"Because that is what he brings, my lady." The knight replied. "When voices are at the height of their panic, he destroys all. And now he has awoken. The signs are exactly the same as when he reigned before. Children are wished away so rarely now, we haven't a chance."

"Wait, how did Silence get sealed up in the first place?"

"His majesty sealed him away, my lady."

"You mean Jareth?" Sarah's tone was slightly stunned. "Well then, can't he just do it again?"

The knight shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my lady. The king's power has significantly weakened since your triumph. I fear that the great dragon senses the chink and is now on the rise."

"There must be _something _we can do." Sarah urged. "How exactly did Jareth seal Silence away?"

A long and uncomfortable pause ensued.

"To answer that, my lady," Sir Didymus finally spoke, "we must tell you the truth about his majesty's presence in our world."

"Now why on earth does she need to know _that_?" Hoggle suddenly demanded.

Fed up with the dwarf's interruptions, Sarah reached over and swiped her friend's jewelry pack again. "Since you're so determined to keep me out of the loop, why don't _you _tell the story, Hoggle?"

"No way!"

"Fine." Sarah shrugged. "There's a nice little pawn shop I can hawk these at tomorrow. I've been wanting a new bike." She teased, shaking the gems over Hoggle's head.

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you the story!" The dwarf huffed, snatching back his rightful property. "When Silence ruled over the Underground, there came a time when our population was so low, even the wished away children-turned-goblins wasn't enough to sustain us. We were a breath from extinction. So…as a last resort, we…cast a spell."

Sarah's stomach quaked at the way Ludo and Sir Didymus bowed their heads in shame. "Go on."

"Goblins have little magic to begin with," Hoggle went on, "it took every last ounce of our collective strength, but we did it. We summoned a warlock."

"A warlock?" Sarah echoed in wonder. "Jareth's a…warlock?"

"Yeah." Hoggle sighed. "Warlocks and witches are the only beings powerful enough to take on a dragon. But there's no other dragon like Silence. He can only be restrained, never killed. Jareth came from a world called the Innerground. You see, Sarah, there are three worlds that exist: the Aboveground where the humans live, the Underground where goblins and dragons and fairies and ogres live, and the Innerground where the witches and warlocks live. When we summoned Jareth, he defeated Silence as if it were child's-play…but the reward for his heroism was…tragic."

Sarah bit her lip. "Why?"

"…Our summoning spell was permanent, my lady." Sir Didymus answered contritely. "His majesty was forever trapped in our world."

It was as if her whole body went numb. "What?"

"The rules of travel between the worlds are somewhat complicated." Hoggle said. "Those that come from the Inner and Undergrounds can go to the Aboveground, but only if they are specifically summoned or in disguise. Those that come from the Underground lack the power to travel to the Innerground, but we _can_ be summoned there, and those from the Innerground can come to the Underground if, again, they are properly summoned. Understand?"

Sarah nodded slowly.

"If anyone from the Inner or Underground is summoned," the dwarf continued, "they are forbidden to leave until the contract between the wisher and the summoned is complete. When we summoned Jareth, we asked that he protect us from Silence. If he left, his magic would go with him and we would all be in danger again. So you see…Jareth can _never_ leave our world cuz, as I mentioned before, Silence is immortal. Our contract with Jareth can never be completed."

"What is worse," Sir Didymus added, "is that his own kind now considers him lost. He cannot return and no one from his world can come to him unless we call them, which, with our pathetically small amount of magic, is perilously difficult."

"Can't he summon them himself?" Sarah asked anxiously.

Sir Diymus shook his head. "It is impossible to summon from your own world."

"We tried to soften the blow as best we could." Hoggle grunted. "In exchange for his service and as payment for his…imprisonment in our world, we offered to make him our king. Naturally, he accepted and the first few years of his reign were brutal. He was…understandably furious. But, some good came of it. He had us build the Labyrinth and moderate the amount of children we took from the Aboveground. He made a game out of the wished-away children. I guess as a way to amuse himself. And that's how it's been for thirteen hundred years."

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**A/N:** _Woo-yeah! Hiatus is finally over! I hope you guys missed me as much as I missed you! Obviously, I've been writing a lot and there is more to come so stay tuned and review! Love you! Also, check the link on my profile for fan-art to my other story, The Girl and the Goblin King!_


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah stood up and slowly drifted over to her only bedroom window, too floored to speak for a moment.

"You okay, Sarah?" Hoggle asked nervously.

The girl shook her head. "I…I never…would've…imagined…" her voice trembled as images of her various encounters with Jareth flashed through her mind, "that…he was…practically a…a…a _pisoner_. Oh God, what if he had children of his own back in the Innerground?" She rounded on her friends abruptly. "How could none of you have even bothered to tell me this before? And you, Hoggle, you had the _nerve _to call him a _rat _when it was _you g_uys that summoned him and pretty much _forced_ him to be your king after he saved all your lives!"

"He…he just scares me, sometimes." Hoggle whispered sadly. "But we _had_ to call him, Sarah. We were desperate. We were _dying_."

Tears brimmed in Sarah's eyes. "I know. I know, I'm sorry. It's just that…I solved the Labyrinth and saved Toby, but…no one can save Jareth. He can never go _home_. It's…it's like a dark alternate version of Peter Pan or something!"

"Peter _who_?" Sir Didymus muttered to his dwarf companion.

"And I…" Sarah went on, running her fingers through her hair, "I just thought he was a _monster_. A horrible person that stole innocent children and bullied everyone around him. I…I never thought for a _second _that he was…that he was…just…_lonely_." Sarah's eyes trailed down to the red leather-bound book on her vanity. Gingerly, she picked it up and fingered the gold letters of _The Labyrinth _on the cover. "You guys said that you think Silence is coming because Jareth's power has been weakened." She spoke carefully, pressing the book to her chest. "What's wrong with him? Is he sick or injured?" After tonight's discoveries, her throat ran dry at the thought of her victory having harmed the Goblin King in any way.

"I'm sorry to say that we are not quite sure, my lady." Sir Didymus replied. "Unless he is angry, his majesty is not very…open with us goblins."

"I see, well…then we'll just have to ask him upfront." Sarah declared, stepping into her tan flats. "Come on, guys."

"What?!" Hoggle barked.

"If this dragon is threatening the Labyrinth, then I wanna help in any way I can." Sarah explained. "Besides, I need to see to Jareth. I have to apologize."

"Sarah, would you be _reasonable_?" The dwarf begged. "It's not your concern anymore! You won! You got your brother back and you went home! And I already told you that all that talk about Silence is just superstitious babble!"

"Then I'll just talk to Jareth and, I don't know, help you guys put out some fires for a while." Sarah shrugged.

"My lady, _if _Silence is truly returning," Sir Didymus said, solemnly glancing at Hoggle, "you would be in terrible danger. Are you quite sure this is wise?"

"You guys all risked your lives to help _me_." Sarah murmured, giving each of her friends a gentle hug. "What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't willing to do the same?"

"Oh great! Just _great_!" Hoggle spat. "And just _how _do _you _propose to get to the Labyrinth, Sarah? The three of us don't have enough magic to summon you there and we don't have enough goblin-power either with everybody being busy with repairs. And there aren't any other humans around here to _wish _you away!"

Sarah grit her teeth. Never one to back down from a challenge, she marched to the center of her bedroom, clutching _The Labyrinth _to her heart and mentally praying that this would work. She took a deep breath and spoke in a loud and clear voice:

"I wish that the goblins would come and take me away, right _now_."

The overhead light snapped off and Sarah was gone in the blink of an eye.

Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus all gaped in shock.

"Did-did you see _that_?" The dwarf croaked. "I can't…how did? That's…that's _impossible_! How the hell did she _do_ that?"

"As I live and breathe," Sir Didymus quietly proclaimed, "I think there is more to that young maiden than meets the eye. Make haste my friends!" The fox knight suddenly urged. "We must follow after our dear lady!"

"I got a bad feeling about this." Hoggle muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Sawa back?" Ludo bawled innocently.

Sir Didymus paused before a twinkle lit up his eyes. "Yes, brother." The knight nodded. "For the time being, Lady Sarah is _back_."

Without another word, the three Labyrinth friends vanished into thin air, leaving the room empty and dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah stood frozen at the top of the castle beyond the Goblin City's front steps. Her jaw hung open in horror. She didn't even notice when her friends materialized beside her.

The destruction was everywhere. All the way from the Labyrinth's perimeter wall in the distance, to the streets of the city, there was chaos. Wild fires peppered the landscape. Various trees, walls and houses were in shambles. There were several spots outside the goblin city that resembled scars. Like something huge had skidded across the ground, flattening everything in its wake. They must've been a mile long, at _least_.

Goblins ran shrieking past her and her companions into the fortified building behind them. Their clothes were smudged with soot and not a single one carried a bundle of precious possessions with them. All of their belongings had apparently been left behind. Sarah felt her stomach lurch at the smell of burnt flesh.

But what was worse…oh _so _much worse was that Sir Didymus had been quite correct.

"Oh my _word_." Hoggle croaked.

Silence _had _returned.

It was the size of a 747 airliner and was solid black from nose to tail and was covered in thick scales. Razor blade horns adorned its head and ran down its long back. Its claws and teeth were thick and sharp and its eyes were a glowing, blood red.

The dragon soared through the sky at roughly five hundred feet. A stream of flames shot from its throat and hit somewhere in the junkyard. Its following roar of triumph almost made Sarah fall to her knees.

"Where's Jareth?!" She demanded in a panic.

"There he is, my lady!" Sir Didymus shouted pointing back above the castle towers.

Sarah gaped as she saw a large feathered creature zip through the air toward the dragon. It looked like some kind of colossal barn owl, but there were smaller talons on the tips of its wings and jagged fangs protruded from its beak.

Jareth crashed into Silence, gouging and clawing relentlessly. Sarah jumped at the shrieking sound of…scraping metal? The dragon snarled in fury and twisted his head in random directions, frantically trying to get a hold of the owl-creature half his size.

Then it happened. Silence's mouth clamped down hard on Jareth's right wing. The bird screeched in pain as it was dragged around to the dragon's front and savagely mauled in a manner of seconds.

Only the sound of Sarah's own heartbeat pounded in her ears as the dragon released its hold and she watched the Goblin King plummet down towards the desolated Labyrinth. Gold and white feathers sifted off of his alternate form, revealing his unconscious warlock body beneath.

"_JARETH!_"

He disappeared somewhere beneath the wreckage.

Silence thundered above them and began a swan-dive, directly toward the castle.

Sarah was vaguely aware of Ludo clutching her to his furry body and Hoggle screaming at the top of his lungs and they all braced for the end.

But instead of the impact of an enormous mythical lizard, or the heat of its fire breath, there was a bright blue spark and a deafening howl of anger.

"Look, my lady!" Sir Didymus cried, nodding upward.

Raising her head, Sarah was stunned to see crystals. Thousands and thousands of crystals floating high above the entire Labyrinth; surrounding the place like a giant dome. Silence hovered on the outside, scratching and biting at the orbs only to be repelled by the electrical sparks. After a few tense moments, the dragon finally flew away to the horizon.

"Thank the stars!" Sir Didymus moaned. "We've still a chance!"

"What do you mean?" Sarah demanded, glancing anxiously at the general area where Jareth had fallen.

"The crystals, my lady." The knight said, indicating with his staff. "They mean that the king is still alive. His magic is exerting itself to its limit to protect the Labyrinth."

_He's still alive. He's still alive. He's still alive._ Sarah's chest fluttered at her friend's words.

"Well he won't be for long if we don't get to him, quick. See _that_?" Hoggle grunted, gesturing overhead.

Sarah's heart sank as she observed three crystals fall from the barrier. They shattered into glitter on the ground.

"_That_ means the king's alive, but he's dying." The dwarf declared and Sarah gasped sharply in fear.

"I'm afraid you a quite right, Sir Hoggle." Sir Didymus replied. "Silence will return very soon. I doubt that the crystals will be strong enough to hold him off when he does."

"Come on! Come on!" Sarah suddenly burst, already flying down the stone steps. "We have to find Jareth! We have to help him! _Hurry_!"

"Behind you all the way, my lady!"

"Sarah, wait up!"

"COMING SAWA!"

_I'm coming, Jareth! _Sarah whispered in her head as she made her way through the ravaged Goblin City. _I'm coming to save you! Please, just hang on! Please!_


	4. Chapter 4

_So this is how it ends. _He thought as he stared up at the hole his body had created when he smashed through the hallow pile of cut rock and pillars in the wrecked Stone Quarter.

Jareth was barely conscious and completely consumed by pain. Pain from his injuries, pain from the fall, and pain from his last reserves of magic being used to create a massive barrier that was already slipping away with his life. He'd been fighting Silence since sunup to no avail. The Labyrinth was in ruins, the goblins were doomed. He was finished.

Still, all of that was nothing compared to the agony of knowing that he'd lost something far more precious to him than a kingdom full of loyal subjects.

Sarah Williams.

The name was salt and honey on his tongue. How could one silly little human girl give him such joy and yet such grief all at once?

It had been a grueling challenge, adhering to her villainous expectations while simultaneously trying to charm and entice her by subtly appealing to her budding womanhood, not that he had much choice in the matter. And she practically spat it all back in his face.

How had he come to this? Ripped from his friends and family and forced into a role he never asked for. Forced to feel emotions he never would have wanted had he known the torture that would accompany them. It wasn't fair! What had he ever done to deserve this?

But the worst part of it all, was that the girl had no idea how big of a hand she played here. She didn't know of her influence, her power, her hold over him. Now it was too late. She won and she left taking only what she cared about, what she thought she needed, with her and he wasn't included. He tried to comfort himself with the notion that soon he'd be free of her ignorant cruelty, but his heart simply refused to cease its desperate ache for her. Even now, he still wanted her and he knew he would never be able to deny it.

As blackness began to cloud his already blurred vision, a recent memory surfaced in his mind. Perhaps the stars had decided to take pity on him, because as he'd fallen, he could have sworn he'd heard her voice calling his name.

Gradually, he floated away into the darkness, visions of a beautiful brunette maiden in a shimmering white ball gown danced behind his eyelids.

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**A/N: **_I know it's really but give the guy a break, he's losing blood and consciousness. _


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah was hunched over, panting harshly with her hands braced on her knees. Even with the Labyrinth being somewhat easier to navigate due to the destruction, all the sprinting and scrambling over debris was physically grueling nonetheless, even with Ludo's ability to clear a path by calling the rocks.

The group had been relying on Sir Didymus's sense of smell to lead them to Jareth and, according to the knight, the king was somewhere in the Stone Quarter. Sarah's heart lightened since they had stopped to rest once they'd reached the Hedge Maze. If she remembered correctly, that meant they were getting very close. The falling crystals had increased in number and frequency. They were running out of time, but they were almost there.

"Okay, let's keep moving." Sarah said, straightening up as another crystal shattered at her feet.

"Sarah!" Hoggle whined after his now-jogging-ahead human companion. "Will you slow down? I ain't exactly built for running, you know!"

"You're just gonna have to deal with it, Hoggle!" Sarah called back. "Jareth needs our help and we have to get to him now! Which way, Sir Didymus?"

"Hard right, my lady!" The knight instructed. "Then left at the fork!"

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, everyone halted at the sight of something shiny on the ground. Curiously, Sarah bent down and picked up the mysterious item. It was a familiar-looking pendant.

"That is his majesty's crest!" Sir Didymus exclaimed. "He is nearby!"

Sarah clutched the oddly-shaped medallion to her chest in relief and was surprised to feel it gently vibrating. "Where is he, Sir Didymus? Can you smell him?"

The knight sniffed the air and turned his head to and fro for a moment, before pointing like an Irish Setter down a long corridor. About fifty yards away at the end, was a large pile of rubble comprised of several collapsed stone walls and matching pillars. The Stone Quarter!

Without a second's hesitation, Sarah broke into a full run down the alley, her friends struggling to keep up behind her.

She'd almost made it half way when a piercing cackle froze her and her friends in their tracks.

"Hey there!" A voice shrieked from above. "Wanna have a little fun?!"

Sarah backed up a few steps as three Firey's crawled down from the top of the hedge and blocked the way.

_Oh no, not them! Not now! _Sarah mentally groaned. "What are they even _doing _here? Why aren't they at the castle with the others?"

"Firey's have no sense of self-preservation, my lady." Sir Didymus replied, growling at the creatures in question. "All the excitement most likely has them running wild."

"Wild! Wild! Wild!" The Firey on the right chanted. "Come on, let's party!"

"Get out of our way!" Hoggle barked. "Go on, shoo!"

"But we wanna play a game with you four!" The middle Firey giggled, slapping his snout hard enough to make his head spin around like a top. "It's called spin the noggin! The girl goes first!"

Sarah ducked as the Firey's suddenly jumped at her, each of them squealing with glee. But before any one of their grasping fingers could reach her, there was a sharp WHACK and a loud roar. She looked up to see Sir Didymus smacking one of the Firey's with his staff, Hoggle grappling and punching another one, and Ludo holding the last one in the air by the ankle as it flailed around.

"Go on, my lady!" Sir Didymus shouted. "We'll hold them off! His majesty is buried underneath those rocks! You must go to him, at once!"

Nodding, Sarah threw on Jareth's necklace and once again took off towards the wreckage. When she reached the mountain of broken mortar and brick, she took a deep breath before she carefully began climbing. The pile was a lot taller up close. The crest pulsed against her skin.

Her muscles were screaming in protest by the time she made it to the top, but that was soon forgotten when she saw the hole revealing the pile's hollow center. Crawling to the edge and peeking in, she gasped in horror at what she saw below.

Jareth was lying unconscious in a pool of dim light about twenty feet down. His clothes were dusty and torn and there was a dark-colored liquid splattered all over his body. Immediately sliding into the hole, Sarah found a reliable foothold and descended into the makeshift cavern.

She wasn't quite sure what to do when she reached the Goblin King's side. There was a terrible wound on his right shoulder and his chest and stomach were also deeply lacerated. Though he was breathing (_very_ weakly), she felt a spike of panic when she took his pulse and found that he didn't have one.

_But what if that's normal for a warlock?_ His blood, which stained nearly every inch of him, was a deep violet color. Several more crystals smashed into glitter around the pair.

Gingerly, Sarah placed the crest around his neck in hopes that it might help. She felt tears prick her eyes when he remained unmoving. She affectionately brushed his flaxen hair out of his face. Even now, when he was covered in dirt, blood and sweat, he was just as handsome as he was when she'd danced with him in that dream-ballroom.

She stroked his cheek and thought about how wrong she'd been about him. He wasn't a fairy-tale villain. He was starting to seem more like an innocent prince under a witch's evil spell; desperately waiting for his true love to set him free. She never would've guessed that he was just a lonely man forever trapped in a place far away from all the friends and family he ever knew. She stroked his sculpted cheek in sympathy.

Her friends shimmied down into the room, but she didn't hear them. They all watched in wonder as their human friend leaned down and pressed her lips to the Goblin King's brow.

_As the pain sweeps through_…Sarah sang quietly, her voice shook with emotion…_makes no sense for you_...a few tears hit Jareth's temple…_every thrill has gone, w-wasn't too much fun at all_…she trailed her left hand down his arm and entwined their fingers…_but I'll be there f-for you-oo-oo_…choking back a sob, she shut her eyes tight and pressed her forehead against his…_as the world falls down…_

A gloved hand softly swept her hair back behind her ear.

"How you turn my world…"an elegant voice whispered.

Sarah reared back to see Jareth awake and smiling tenderly at her.

"…you precious thing."

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**A/N:** _What do you guys thing about Sarah singing part of that song to Jareth? Romantic enough? Personally, I cried writing that part._


	6. Chapter 6

"Jareth!" Sarah gasped in relief. Mindful of his injuries, she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Jareth you're alright!"

He weakly stroked her back with one hand.

"We're gonna get you out of here." The girl promised as she pulled back and wiped away a spot of dark purple blood on his cheek with her thumb. "We're gonna get you some help. Ludo?" She called over her shoulder to her big friend. "I need you to clear a path out of here and when you're done, do you think you can carry him?"

"YES SAWA!" Ludo moaned.

As the beast turned to begin work on his first task, Hoggle and Sir Didymus strode over to Sarah and the king.

"Your majesty." Sir Didymus said as he and the dwarf bowed low with respect.

Jareth barely managed to nod.

"Sarah," Hoggle muttered, eyeing the Goblin King's shoulder and stomach, "we'll have to make double-time on the way back."

Sarah's stomach tightened at his ominous tone.

"Aye, my lady." Sir Didymus concurred. "His majesty's wounds are deep and laced with poison."

"_Poison_?!" Sarah repeated in horror.

"Dragons' claws, teeth and scales are solid iron." Hoggle grunted. "If left untreated for too long and if enough of it gets into the bloodstream, it's lethal for his kind."

Jareth's eyelids fluttered as if he was struggling to keep them open.

"Can either of you do anything for him?" Sarah nearly shrieked.

Hoggle shook his head. "This is a job for the castle healers. We'll just have to hurry as fast as we can."

"READY SAWA!" Ludo bellowed, crossing over to the group and lifting the Goblin King into his strong arms.

"Okay guys." Sarah murmured, facing the exit Ludo had constructed. Separated by miles of wayward paths and piles of wreckage, the castle beyond the Goblin City glinted at them in the distance. "Let's _go_!"

* * *

Thank the Lord they hadn't run into anymore Firey's on the way back, but Sarah took little comfort in that fact. The crystals were falling almost like rain now and Jareth had lost consciousness again a few minutes ago. His head lolled around like a rag doll in Ludo's arms. At least they were finally making their way into the Goblin City. Her legs were throbbing and her lungs were in fire, but she kept pushing. There'd been no rest stop _this_ time. Sarah was glad that Sir Didymus and Ludo faced the strain like champs, but she'd had to carry Hoggle a bit of the way.

At last, the group reached the castle doors, where, right away, they were greeted by a group of tall goblins. Once Jareth was carefully passed over to them, Sarah and her friends followed the goblins inside.

The goblins led them through several long winding hallways and even a brief walk through the Escher Room before they reached a set of polished oak double-doors at the end of a marble corridor.

The room was spacious with smooth stone walls and floors and intricately carved cathedral ceilings. The lavish antique furniture was made from a glossy cherry wood with beautiful golden cushions.

However, Sarah wasn't interested in examining the décor. Her eyes stayed fixed on Jareth as the goblins laid him down on the largest king sized bed she'd ever seen and began stripping off his tattered poet's shirt. Once they'd finished, the tall goblins filed out of the bedchamber and three other (much shorter) goblins rushed into the room.

The new goblins, whom Sarah assumed were the healers, were clad in white hooded robes and they climbed onto the bed right beside Jareth, all the while chanting lowly in some other language. One of them set a large bowl of blue-tinted water on the nightstand and another dipped a white cloth into the liquid and began mopping the king's brow with the soaked rag. The last goblin uncorked a black glass bottle and pored several drops of a mysterious clear potion directly onto Jareth's marred flesh.

Immediately, Jareth began convulsing and thrashing around, forcing the healers to clumsily restrain him and chant louder.

"S-Sarah…" Jareth whimpered through his delirium. "Sarah!"

The girl's heart skipped a beat at the desperate sound of her name and she instinctively took a step toward the Goblin King.

"No, Sarah!" Hoggle warned, grabbing her hand to stop her. Ludo also placed a heavy paw on her arm and Sir Didymus blocked her knees with his staff.

Jareth cried for her again.

"Let me go, you guys!" Sarah protested, twisting in their collective grasp. "He needs me!"

"We must let the healers tend to him, my lady." Sir Didymus urged. "The king needs to rest."

"Come on," Hoggle pleaded, tugging Sarah to the open doors, "let's stay out of the way, for now. We have to figure out what we're going to do before-"

**_RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR RR!_**

The entire bedchamber shook with the force of the sound of Silence returning to finish what he'd started.

"Oh, no!" Hoggle sobbed. "He's back already and Jareth's bedridden! We're all gonna die!"

"No we're not!" Sarah declared forcefully, turning on her heel and striding quickly out into the hall. "You all stay here with Jareth and let me know the _second _he wakes up, got it?! I'll deal with the dragon."

"SAWA?"

"My lady?"

Sarah took off sprinting down the corridor to the Escher Room.

"Sarah!" Hoggle's fading voice screamed after her. "What in blue blazes are you _doing_?! Have you lost your mind?! What you mean _you'll_ take care of the dragon?! Sarah, COME BACK!"

Honestly, she hadn't the slightest idea what she was going to do, but all Sarah knew was that she wasn't even the tiniest bit afraid. It was as if something inside of her, something _powerful _was flawlessly leading her through the castle to face Silence. Whatever it was, it made her feel more confident that she'd even felt in her entire life as well as…possessive…protective…motherly. Image of the ruined Labyrinth, its frightened and burned inhabitants, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and Jareth flashed before her eyes and she grit her teeth.

_I won't let this happen. This ends now!_

Before she knew it, Sarah was standing in the same place she was when she arrived. The air around her shimmered with glitter. There were barely any crystals left in the sky. Silence had, of course, already broken through the barrier and was soaring low over the Goblin City, slashing at any still-standing houses with its claws.

"HEY!" Sarah shouted, ballig her hands into fists.

Silence's head snapped in her direction and he flew right to her. Sarah didn't even flinch when the dragon's massive body landed against the castle steps with a pericing metallic crash. It stretched its neck out so its head was within arm's reach if Sarah's face. Its fiery red eyes glowered at her, but Sarah stood her ground.

"Get out of here." She growled firmly at the dragon.

Silence opened its mammoth jaws and roared at her. Hot air blew her hair straight back, but Sarah refused to budge.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered," she continued, "I fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. I solved this entire Labyrinth in less than thirteen hours and rescued my baby brother. I beat the Goblin King at his own game. For my will is as strong as his. I _won _the challenge! I _won _the prize!" Sarah pulled the leather book from her pocket and held it up high. "You have no power over me, or anyone else here. This is _my_ Labyrinth! And I want you _GONE_!"

A lone crystal fell from the sky and Sarah caught it mid-air and hurled it with all her might at Silence. The orb burst against the dragon's snout and the monster reared back with a howl of pain and fury. The girl watched as Silence's wings folded around him and, as if thrown by and invisible force, he shot into the distance like some kind of an enormous black football. The sparkles around her then descended like a cloud into the Labyrinth and coated the damage. Sarah watched in wonder as the buildings and walls started to repair themselves, the fires subsided, and the trees and other foliage swiftly regrew.

"You did it, my lady." Sir Didymus's voice breathed.

Sarah whirled around to see her three friends standing together in the castle doorway, staring at her in awe.

"Silence is subdued, once more." The knight stated proudly.

"Yeah…" Hoggle murmured as if in a trance. "Oh uh, Jareth's awake. He wants to see you, Sarah.

"I can't believe she did it." The dwarf whispered once the girl had fled into the castle.

"Neither can I, Sir Hoggle." The knight replied as the Labyrinth continued to fix itself. "But somehow, she did."

* * *

**A/N:** _Too cheesy?_


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah stood in the open doorway of the royal bedchamber, momentarily at a loss for words.

Jareth was awake, staring straight ahead into space and reclining peacefully on the grand silver and gold bed. His wounds were now covered with dark brown patches that resembled snakeskin. Sarah tried not to ogle his exposed chest. Couldn't the healers have pulled the sheets up higher than his _waist_?

A single chair had been pulled up beside the bed.

Taking the hint, Sarah crossed the room and sat down. Too nervous to say anything, she patiently waited for him to speak.

"You came back." He finally said. His voice was still weak, but it caressed her like velvet regardless.

"I needed to." She shyly replied.

"Really?" He asked with a touch of bitterness. "And why is that, exactly?"

"I…I had to…to see you."

Jareth's bi-colored eyes slowly turned to her and Sarah resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. Somehow, she felt nude under his gaze.

"Why?" He persisted.

"I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"I-I didn't know," she stammered, "the truth about…about you. I didn't…know the circumstances leading up to your…your _presence_ here. I misunderstood you. I misjudged you. I'm sorry."

The Goblin King's jaw twitched. "I don't need, nor do I want your _pity_." He angrily snapped.

"I'm not pitying you!" She protested. I'm just trying to start over. I don't want us to be enemies. Now that I know what happened to you-"

"You don't know a _damn_ thing about me!" Jareth snarled, sitting up slightly. "You don't know anything _at all_!"

Sarah flinched at his ire, but didn't allow herself to look away from him. He had a right to be mad and she would just have to deal with it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jareth relaxed against the pillows again, though his eyes remained hard.

"Tell me, Sarah," he said quietly, "just what, _precisely_, did your little friends say to you about my _origins_?"

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. "They-they said that you're a warlock and that you come from a place called the Innerground; that they summoned you to protect them from Silence and that you subdued him with your magic. They also said that whenever a person is summoned, they can't leave until the contract between themselves and whoever summoned them is complete. That's why you could never leave this place because Silence is immortal. It you left, he would rise up and the goblins would be in danger again. So you've been trapped here as their king for thirteen-hundred years."

"Is _that _what they told you?" Jareth chuckled dryly.

Sarah cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, don't worry." He sneered. "Their story is correct…from a certain point of view."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that their account it heavily abridged." He explained. "It is a tiny facet of the _whole_ truth. But it's as to be expected. Goblins are not known for being particularly enlightened creatures."

Ignoring the jab at her friends, Sarah leaned forward in her chair. "Okay, so what is the _whole _truth?"

"Where did you get that book, Sarah?" Jareth asked suddenly. "Who gave it to you?"

Sarah blinked in surprise at the apparent change in subject but glanced down at the red-leather book in her lap. She'd forgotten it was there.

"My mom bought it for me as a souvenir." She replied, tracing a finger along the spine. "She was on tour in Europe with a show and she was in London on the last day. She went for a drive in the country and found this book vendor on the side of the road. She read a few pages and thought I'd like it."

"How old were you?"

"Two. She read it to me every night before bed until I learned how to read it myself."

"So that would have been how many years ago?"

"Thir-thirteen…" Sarah began to sense something was amiss. "Why?"

"And I've been ruling the Labyrinth for _thirteen-_hundred." The Goblin King mused. "What an odd coincidence."

Sarah's brows furrowed. "What are you saying?"

"There are delicate connections between my home world and yours, Sarah." Jareth continued vaguely. "Though there is magic to be found in all three, the bond between the Innerground and the Aboveground is in a class all its own. In your world, humans come across magic much more often than you would think, but they lack the faith to use it, leaving my kind with more freedom to study and observe in disguise, without direct contact. But the rarest phenomena in existence, is a human that possesses the ability to wield magic in a way that can determine the fate of one in _my_ world."

Sarah felt the color drain form her face at his implication.

"Obviously," he went on, "time passes at a much faster rate here than it does in your world. So by Underground time, I've been king for thirteen centuries, but by _your _time, I've been here ever since you dear mother read that book to you, thirteen years ago."

"Are-are you trying to tell me that-that…_I'm_ responsible for-?"

"I'm telling you that you're one of those rare humans." Jareth growled. "_You_ manipulated_ my_ destiny. When you read that book as a child, you had faith in every word. You _believed _in it. You _dreamt_ it all. And I followed your every whim. I became the Goblin King, I built the Labyrinth and filled it with wonders, and I made the game of rescuing the wished away children…all because of you. Didn't you think that everything you encountered here was a bit familiar? Like a dream you couldn't quite remember?"

Sarah shook her head as her mind struggled to absorb this incredible information. "I-I don't understand, I'm just a human, how could I possibly have _manipulated _your _destiny_? How could I have-?"

"How the hell should I know?!" Jareth snapped in annoyance. "Because you're _different_! Because you're _special_! What do want from me?! I told you that you were no ordinary girl! Does it really matter _how _or _why_ you did it?! Frankly, I don't care! All I want to know is just _what _you plan to do now! Are you going to _leave _me again?!"

She caught the desperation in his tone. "Jareth, why did Silence wake up? Why wasn't your magic strong enough to defeat him? What happened after I beat you?"

The Goblin King looked sharply away from her and glared at the wall.

Going with her gut, Sarah opened _The Labyrinth _up to the first page. "Once upon a time," she read, "there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child and he wanted everything for himself and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew…was that the king of the goblins…had fallen in love…with the girl…and he had given her certain powers.

There was a pregnant pause before Sarah found her voice. "Jareth? Is that true?"

The Goblin King's eyes slid closed. "Yes."

* * *

**A/N:** _I've said this before in The Girl and the Goblin King, but I just LOVE writing conversations between Sarah and Jareth! _


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah was in complete shock. Was is weird that she was more struck by the fact that this _warlock _just admitted to having _feelings_ for her than the discovery that she had fate-controlling powers? But, were the feelings _genuine_ if she held so much sway over him?

"You-you _love _me?" She asked shakily.

Jareth's eyes opened, and though his face was still turned away from her, she could see the quiet sadness within them. "With all of my being."

"But-but _how_?" She pressed in confusion. "I'm only fifteen and-and you just said that you were basically a slave to my every whim! So, how can you really feel that way?"

"Sarah," Jareth sighed as he faced her," you're talking about this situation as if you had cast a spell over me. It's not the same thing. You changed my destiny and I was aware of it. It was as if I was looking into the unalterable future. I watched you grow from a child into a strong, capable young woman and I fell more and more in love with you as each and every day went by. However, I won't lie to you. I _did _resist. I desperately fought against my growing devotion to you. I even tried to _hate_ you for trapping me in the Underground and subconsciously _forcing _me to literally construct your dream world. But I couldn't. Hating you gave me no pleasure. It only made me feel hollow and cold. But when I allowed myself to love you, I felt comforted and warm. As for your age, even if you were ninety-nine right now, I'd still be several thousand years your senior and I wouldn't love you any less than I already do, so it isn't really a concern to me."

"If you felt this way, then why didn't you say anything before?" Sarah gently demanded. "Why did you act like the bad guy when I ran the Labyrinth?"

"Because you expected me to." Jareth said. "You _wanted _a villain because you were still cleaving to your childish fantasies. You weren't ready to admit you wanted a _prince_. Had you been more inclined to stories of romance as opposed to heroism, things might have turned out differently, but alas, you are a wild and willful one aren't you, precious?" The corner of his mouth perked up in amusement and Sarah's stomach fluttered. "I tried to push my luck with that gift. I tried to show you my feelings and your changing desires all at once, but you were still too much of a frightened child to understand. So you ran from me and refused to listen when I tried to appeal to you in the Escher Room."

"I thought you were just trying to distract me."

"In a way, I was," he admitted, "but mostly, I was trying to make you reconsider your position towards me. Remember the song?"

She nodded.

"Those weren't exactly _my _words to _you_. They were quite the opposite actually."

Sarah's brow furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

"When we danced together in the peach dream," Jareth explained, "I read your heart. I saw how you _really _felt about me."

The memory of his voice in that horrible stair-puzzle flooded her memory:

_How you turned my world, you precious thing._

"I turned your fantasy world into a dream come true."

_You starve and near exhaust me._

"I starved and nearly exhausted you with my challenge."

_Everything I've done, I've done for you._

"You unconsciously gave life to the land in your book because you were fascinated by me and wanted_ me_ to be real most of all."

_I move the stars for no one._

"You'd never done anything so grand for anyone else and you never would."

_You've run so long, you've run so far._

"You made me come to you from a place so far away and wait for so long."

_Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel._

"You were frightened by me; by our similarities."

_Though I do believe in you. Yes, I do._

"Though you still believed in me with all of your heart."

_Live without the sunlight._

"You only felt really alive in the dark of the night, when you were dreaming of you and I in the Labyrinth."

_Love without your heartbeat._

"But I was just a figment of your imagination. You'd didn't think of me as really being alive."

_I can't live within you._

"You couldn't admit to yourself the connection between us because you thought I was nothing more than a beautiful lie that could offer you nothing. _That _is why Silence awoke, Sarah." Jareth whispered. "When you denied me, I suppose you could say I lost the will to live. A rather crass expression you humans invented, but I honestly can't think of a better description. After watching and waiting thirteen-hundred years for you, after you'd eternally chained my heart to yours, you rejected me simply because I wasn't real _enough_ to satisfy your doubts. No wonder you quoted the last conversation in that book to me. If you just followed the rules, all would be well. The dream would end and you'd be free to go about your business and not have to worry about the devilish Goblin King until you felt the need to play pretend again._ I_ was a _toy_ you liked to play with, but somehow your _friends _were an exception. Silence sensed the weakness in my power and reacted accordingly. The only reason you were able to defeat him with words was because you were quite right. This _is _your Labyrinth. It always _has_ been _your _Labyrinth and it always _will _be. And now, I must ask you to decide what you're going to do with it."

Sarah hadn't realized that there were tears sliding down her cheeks until a drop of wetness splashed on the back of her hand. "What? What do you mean _decide_?" She wiped her eyes hastily.

"You're about to be an adult, Sarah." Jareth clarified. "You must decide if you want to keep your dreams, or let them fade away with childhood. Should you choose the first, nothing will change. The Labyrinth and all its inhabitants will go on as long as you wish. If you choose the latter, my magic will die, then Silence will come and finish what he started."

"That's no choice at all." Sarah stated firmly. "I'll keep the Labyrinth for the rest of my life."

Jareth averted his gaze. "I'm sure Hog-wart and the others will be glad to hear of your decision." He replied solemnly.

"What about you?"

"I will continue to be your slave."

Sarah bit her lip in anguish. The last bit of understanding fell into place.

"Jareth?" She murmured, placing a hand on his bicep. "The last time you said that to me, you were just asking me to consciously return some of the feelings you had for me, weren't you?"

When he didn't answer, though she really didn't need him to, Sarah moved from the chair and sat on the bed beside him. Ignoring the girlish shivers under her skin and the bright red blush on her face, she reached down and pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Pulling away, she stroked her fingers from his temple all the way down to the corner of his jaw. She forced down a giggle at the way he leaned into the caress.

"You've waited thirteen-hundred years for me, already," Sarah began, "do you think you can wait…another _two_-hundred?"

"Oh Sarah," Jareth purred, tracing her bottom lip with his fingertips. "For you, I would wait forever."

"Well," she grinned taking his hand from her mouth and lacing their fingers together, "I promise that _this _time, forever won't be long at all."

* * *

**A/N:** _The end! I tried to keep it a bit ambiguous as to where they go from there as a couple but I think we all know that they'll work it out! Review me please! It's been so long!_


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